{ad} The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass may take the crown for best title on the Nintendo DS. In a lineup filled with outstanding titles for casual and core gamers alike, this title stands out for what it does. In terms of the Zelda series, it also stands out because of what it doesn’t do. Namely, try to fit a console game into a handheld.

For those following each step of Link’s journey, this title picks up a few months after The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker. Link, Tetra, and her pirates are looking for a Ghost Ship. And wouldn’t you know: Tetra somehow gets lost. Link meets up with a fairy named Ciela, who acts partially as a cursor, but is also involved in the story. No way I’m spoiling it for you.

In terms of size, the game world is much smaller than Wind Walker. There are more than a dozen islands spread throughout four corners of the map, which you reveal chunk by chunk. Players sail by keeping the cursor in front of the ship, and using it to steer.

Graphically, Phantom Hourglass is above average for DS titles. It’s not going to blow you away, but the cel-shaded 3D images work. The game is typically top-down, but sometimes shifts to highlight key areas. Environmental effects and monsters look much more realistic–if you can call it that–than people. Sometimes when people talk to you they look completely flat, but it’s never a huge deal.

The game’s most impressive features are in the gameplay–just as you’d expect from a Zelda title. The puzzles start out ridiculously easy, and so unlike some other Zeldas, it doesn’t take three hours to get out of the first area. They grow more difficult rather slowly, but do approach the challenge we’ve all come to expect. I appreciate the pacing of the title, and I think most people will like that they can jump right in headfirst–especially if they’re playing on a train ride to work.

The game is nowhere near as long as the full console versions, and most of the dungeons are therefore a good deal smaller and could be described as manageable. While some might wish 100+ hours of gameplay was stuffed into a handheld–just to have 100+ hours of additional Zelda gameplay–this game’s simpler nature makes for much more satisfying gaming sessions for all but the most hardcore Zelda fans.

The game controls like an absolute dream. The bottom screen is where you’ll do just about everything, while the top screen is usually a map. You walk and run by pointing the stylus where you want to go. And you can jump by just pointing somewhere across a gap.

In the beginning, you learn how to move along with a few touch based combat moves. The DS registers all of them perfectly, so you won’t need to worry about wandering when you want to be slashing. As Phantom Hourglass goes on, you’ll spend a lot of time copying details onto your trusty map. A penmanship class would be a plus, but any chicken scratch will do. You’ll circle points on the map and copy down things you’re told. And if you mess up. then you can always start over.

The combat gets much more exciting as the creatures become stronger. You’ll kill many with your sword by just tapping on the screen. You can down multiple enemies by making circle motions. And so forth.

Not far into the game, you’ll get a boomerang, which must be used to solve puzzles and can also wound baddies. To use the boomerang, you draw on the screen to trace its path. Later, items can be directed to particular tiles by touching those tiles. It’s as easy as it sounds.

The game not only uses the touchscreen for virtually every action, but you also make use of the microphone. Although it might seem a little gimmicky–if not potentially embarrassing–for you to call out to in-game characters, it’s actually kind of fun. Just try to do those parts of the missions away from other people!

There’s an online battle mode, where you trade turns with an opponent being Link and monsters. Trace the path of the three guardians to catch Link before he can grab gems and return them to base. Power-ups will spring up along the way, and you’ll want to/have to use them to win. You can do this locally or online through the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

All told, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sets a new standard for other DS titles, and should serve as a model for how to perfectly adapt stylus and touchscreen abilities to a game. Zelda fans will play it no matter what, but I could see some of the most hardcore being disappointed with this game’s simpler nature. Meanwhile, most everybody else will like that they can actually finish the game without feeling like they ran an ultra-marathon.